Let Sleeping Dogs Lie: Talking to your at-risk agents

“Let Sleeping Dogs Lie”…

Is a favorite saying in many business circles, referring to awakening a naïve concealed danger. McGraw-Hill defines it as a proverb- “Do not instigate trouble; Leave something alone if it might cause trouble.””[1]We have observed a number of call center operators express this idiom when asked to speak to their at-risk employees.

Why employers avoid talking to at-risk agents:

The actual fear of call center operators goes something like this- “If I talk to an at-risk agent, they will leave.” By implication- “If I don’t talk to them, they will not know they are unhappy and stay”. As ridiculous as this logic is, we have seen this cited again and again over the years. Ignorance is bliss? “Where ignorance is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise.” ”[2] If the agent AnswerOn identifies is planning on leaving (at-risk), you have an opportunity to correct this and save the agent. If they were not at risk of leaving, then based on the structure of AnswerOn’s program(s) you simply strengthened your relationship with the agent.

A lot of work place satisfaction comes from the social environment. We always seek to build an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect. One of the ways to do this is seeking out the agents who are most dissatisfied, frustrated, or hurting and helping them.